Stormy Daniels must pay Trump $294,000 under federal judge's orders
Adult-film actress Stormy Daniels has been ordered to pay $US294,000 to Donald Trump in connection to her dismissed defamation lawsuit against the president.
Nearly three-quarters of the payment will cover his attorney fees.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, filed the defamation lawsuit without her permission.
A federal judge in California has ordered porn star Stormy Daniels to pay Donald Trump $US293,000 in attorney fees and $US1,000 in sanctions for filing a defamation lawsuit against the president.
The order was made in connection with Daniels' dismissed defamation case against Trump. Charles Harder, Trump's lawyer, said the decision over Daniels' "meritless" lawsuit constitutes a "total victory for the President, and a total defeat for Stormy Daniels in this case."
The payment covers 75% of Trump's attorney fees, per Harder.
In a tweet, Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti said "Trump asked for $US800k in attorneys' fees, costs and sanctions from the minor defamation case." The court, he said, awarded less than half after "recognising that the request was gross & excessive."
https://twitter.com/MichaelAvenatti/status/1072581518390902786?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
In another tweet, Avenatti said Trump and his attorney are attempting to "fool the public" about the importance of the sanctions placed on Daniels, which he said "are a fraction of what they owe my client in the main NDA case."
https://twitter.com/MichaelAvenatti/status/1072593156154232832?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, thanked Avenatti in a tweet. In November, the adult-film actress said Avenatti filed the defamation lawsuit without her approval.
